​When I saw that today was Friday the 13th, I started wondering about it's history. So, of course, I Googled it! I found some interesting stuff.......​

​​The official term for fear of Friday the 13 is "paraskavedekatriaphobia," derived from the Greek words "paraskeví" meaning "Friday" and "dekatreís" meaning "thirteen. The beginning of this phobia is said to have biblical origins because Christ's crucifixion supposedly took place on Friday and his betrayer, Judas, was the 13th guest at the last supper.

Millions of people are afraid of Friday the 13th to the point that they will not go to work, or even set foot outside their home on this allegedly evil day. Most high rise buildings do not have a 13th floor. Airports do not have a gate 13. Hospitals do not have rooms numbered 13, on any floor.

Is it silly? Maybe.

Let's look at some of the things that have happened in past, on Friday the 13th:

1. One of the first horrors in history to have happened on this date was on October 13, 1307. In France, King Philip IV ordered raids on the homes of the Knights Templar, who were warrior monks during the Crusades. Hundreds were tortured to death trying to force then to admit to heresy and other sacrilegious offenses.

2. On January 13, 1939 horrific bush fires decimated Australia, killing 36 people and causing the incident to be labeled "Black Friday."

3. The Nazis dropped five bombs on Buckingham Palace during World War II, on September 13, 1940, destroying the Palace Chapel.

4. On July 13, 1951, after days of relentless rain in northeastern Kansas, the rivers poured over their banks, putting the cities of Topeka, Lawrence, and Manhattan underwater.

5. Half a million people were killed in Bangladesh in the worst cyclone in history, on Friday, November 13, 1970.

6. On Friday, November 13, 1972 a plane carrying a Uruguayan rugby team crashed in the Andes

7. On January 13, 1989, the "Friday the 13th Virus" was released and infected hundreds of computers in England. It was one of the first major virus releases.

8. There was a major stock exchange crash on Friday, October 13th, 1989

9. On October 13, 2006, a freak snowstorm hit upstate New York in which 3 people died and incurred 130 million dollars in damages.

10. The cruise ship Concordia struck a reef and ended up on it's side. While most of the passengers were rescued, 32 people lost their lives because of the wreck.

As you can see, lots of bad things have happened on Friday the 13th, in the past. But not everything that happens is bad. Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock was born on August 13, 1899. Unfortunately, the first movie he was to have directed, "Number 13" was never finished due to financial troubles.

Oh unlucky 13!

Have a lucky weekend!

​Jade :)

If you want to explore more facts regarding Friday the 13th, it's history and stories, this is a really interesting book that is so inexpensive, it is practically a steal!

We got an early start on Friday the 13th car problems. On Thursday my husbands truck broke down on the way home from work and we had to get it towed to the tune of $178. He works very far from home.

Reply

Rex Trulove

7/13/2018 05:34:23 pm

This is rather a self-fulfilling prophecy. What I mean is that if a person gets up on a particular day, say Sunday the First, and convinces themselves that something bad is going to happen, it will. That is mostly because they notice the bad things that happen on that day and ignore the good things that happen. (Good and bad happens every day.)

If they then associate those bad things with Sunday the First, they'll start noticing all the bad that happens every time the First of the month falls on Sunday.

I specifically chose Sunday the First above, for the simple reason that any month that has a first that falls on Sunday will also have a Friday the 13th.

Incidentally, the gallows of the old West had 13 steps and the noose had 13 loops. Both would be rather unlucky for murderers, bank robbers, train robbers, or cattle rustlers, at least before the towns became more lawful.